As Europe’s largest semiconductor distributor, EBV Elektronik supplies all the electronic components necessary for the development of autonomous robots capable of interacting closely with people. But that is not all, as Bernard Vicens, EBV Director Segment Smart Consumer & Building, emphasises. If required, the company offers its customers a complete ecosystem of solutions, identifying new potential business fields in conjunction with them.
Do you have a robot at home already?
Bernard Vicens: Not yet. I’m thinking about getting a robotic lawnmower in the future.
What makes robotics so exciting for you as an electronics distributor?
B. V.: First of all, robotics remind me – and probably all of us – of science-fiction movies and novels I saw and read when I was young … which sometimes can be scary! In the scope of our business, we are still at the very early phase, but applications are across all market segments. Also requirements are huge in terms of computing power, power management, security, sensors, human-machine interfaces and communications, so soon this market will become strategic.
Which components does EBV offer for robots?
B. V.: We have solutions for all the technologies listed above. Moreover, our portfolio is expanding, particularly with new sensor technologies.
Where do you see the most exciting market for robots at present?
B. V.: I think the home assistant robot market is the next big thing, with voice recognition such as Amazon Echo or Google Home. We will soon see a similar approach with mobile robots addressing various home applications like child-care, entertainment, security, comfort …
Do you have any “favourite projects” that you have seen recently?
B. V.: Well, there are several interesting projects. For example the NemH2O. This swimming pool robot is able to stay in the water forever, thanks to high-power induction charging. Another favourite is Wiigo, an autonomous, self-driven shopping cart designed to follow people with or without reduced mobility in supermarkets. Then there is Keecker, a smart multimedia robot that moves throughout the home to bring entertainment, communication and security to each room. Another exciting project is Buddy, an open-source companion robot that connects, protects, and interacts with each member of a family.
The field of robotics is currently making giant strides in development. Which technologies or trends are largely “responsible” for this in your view?
B. V.: The improvement that voice recognition has recently made is greatly facilitating interaction between humans and robots. For example, it is possible to embed a voice trigger in your application – you just have to utter a “key word” to wake up a system. And the Cloud provides unlimited capacities to manage sophisticated voice recognition – there is virtually no limit to the performance of voice recognition.
Which aspects of robotics do you find particularly exciting at the moment?
B. V.: Human-machine interfaces are really improving. Again, voice recognition will definitely simplify our interaction with robots, but the fact that robots are interacting ever more closely with humans – for example as care robots – means that very strict safety processes must be implemented. Which reminds me of the three laws of Isaac Asimov …
A Tesla causes an accident because it cannot differentiate a jack-knifed lorry from a bridge. A security robot knocks over a child in a shopping centre. Are robotic systems really advanced enough that they can be used in day-to-day tasks?
B. V.: Obviously, your examples show that safety rules for robots still need improvement. However, if we use a larger-scale comparison, we might want to check how many accidents were avoided by an autonomous driving Tesla as opposed to human driving. Don’t forget that a robot is able to react in a thousandth of the time a human takes.
Many of the robots presented in the magazine have been developed by start-ups. Is the market for robot applications a start-up market?
B. V.: Maybe established industrial companies are under-represented in the magazine? But yes, innovation is, as usual, coming from start-ups. Nevertheless, I expect big consumer players such as Samsung and LG to bring similar products onto the market soon.
It is evident that there are many company founders among them who originated from the target market – for example, agriculture or security – but who had never previously had anything to do with electronics, sensors or artificial intelligence. How can EBV help them to successfully realise their robotic visions?
B. V.: There is a similar situation in the IoT market. Our main goal is to turn our customer’s ideas into reality. Of course, we are offering the right electronic component solutions, thanks to our best-in-class sales organisation that includes specialist engineers, but we also provide the complete ecosystem including partners that can offer hardware, software design support, manufacturing, and so on.
Can EBV also offer something to experienced robotics manufacturers beyond mere components?
B. V.: As I said earlier, we are offering a complete ecosystem. In fact, in some cases we can also create awareness for our customers and give them an idea of potential additional business.
There is a wide range of different technologies in the field of navigation and environmental recognition in particular. How can the right solution be identified among them?
B. V.: It really depends on the application context. First, we need to differentiate outdoor applications where a GPS signal can be used. Then some technologies, such as radar, offer longer-range detection. In some cases, infrared Time-of-Flight sensors are adequate. In other cases, motion detection and magnetometer MEMS can help to determine position and orientation. I strongly believe customers will often combine technologies to gain the best solution for their system. Especially be aware that autonomous cars will in the near future combine at least three different technologies to determine their position.
From your point of view, which regions or countries are currently leading the way in the development of new robots?
B. V.: The United States, Korea, France, Denmark, Germany and Italy are countries with many activities and companies. Moreover, in those countries universities and public institutions are also driving the market by investing in specific programmes and events.
Which markets or industries are particularly exciting in terms of robotics at the moment? How will this develop in the future?
B. V.: Home service robotics could really improve our day-to-day life. With multiple applications, such as taking care of children and elderly people, or entertaining the family. When we add appropriate sensors, robots could even check air quality and control comfort and – why not – switch off appliances to save energy if we forget.
Do you believe that we will all have a robot at home one day?
B. V.: Yes, definitely.